Durness (pop. 1,400) consists of a series of scattered settlements. At the west end of the village look out for the picturesque remains of Balnakeil Church (ca. 1619), a golf course and Balnakeil beach where the grave of a Viking warrior was recently discovered. Craftsmen and women can be seen at work in the nearby craft village.
The manned lighthouse built by Robert Stevenson built in 1827 stands a little to the east of Cape Wrath on the spectacular Clo Mor Cliffs (920ft/280m).
In summer a passenger ferry from near Cape Wrath Hotel operates across the Kyle of Durness and then a minibus service covers the final few miles on to Scotland's magnificent northwestern tip ("hvarf" = "turning point"). On a clear day a fine view from the storm-battered rocks extends across to Lewis and Harris and in the east as far as the Orkneys.
Smoo Cave, which lies to the east of Durness, is a vast limestone cavern with three chambers. The first one (220ft/67m long and 120ft/37m high) is reminiscent of the nave of a Gothic church. Continuing erosion has opened up a number of holes in the roof and daylight has led to the growth of some unusual vegetation on the walls. The other two chambers are accessible only by boat.
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Faraid Head, Durness
Durness
